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Shrek Forever After (Film)

by Cara Nash | June 15, 2010 15:57 | Edited June 15, 2010 15:58

While slightly tired at its core, this final chapter serves as an enjoyable send-off for two of animation’s most engaging characters.

Debuting in 2001, Shrek stands as an animated movie classic, a magically irreverent experience, which accomplished the rare feat of appealing to people of all ages. Unfortunately, as is often the case with family-friendly blockbusters, this film about a cranky ogre voiced by Mike Myers soon fell victim to the curse of the franchise, with sequels churned out that failed to recapture the spark and charm of the first film. The fourth film is being touted as the final chapter, and while it feels a little unnecessary, Shrek Forever After serves as an enjoyable send-off.

 

Married with three squalling baby ogres, this latest installment finds Shrek with a case of midlife angst. Instead of scaring the villagers, he has become a popular local celebrity mobbed by fans asking him to "do the roar." Feeling as though he has lost his edge, and reminiscing about the days of his swampy bachelorhood, Shrek makes an ill-fated magical bargain with Rumpelstiltskin (an ingeniously evil Walt Dohrn), who tricks him into signing a contract which threatens to erase him from history. Shrek must enlist the help of his wife, Fiona (Cameron Diaz), and friends Donkey (Eddie Murphy) and Puss In Boots (Antonio Banderas), to break the contract.

 

As the film's not-knowing-what-you-have-til-it's-gone message is so familiar, Shrek Forever After feels tired, but is lifted by the usual slew of wisecracks and pop culture references. The use of 3-D, while not revelatory, is apt, and adds another layer of appeal to the film's action.

 

Despite the witty gags and the visuals, however, what ensures the film's continual appeal are the brilliantly realised central characters. It's almost been a decade since audiences were first introduced to Myers' self-effacing, grumpy ogre and Murphy's eternally upbeat Donkey, but the duo remains two of the most endearing and engaging characters in the realm of animation.